Explaining Women's Legislative Representation in Sub-Saharan Africa

Citation:

Yoon, Mi Yung. 2004. “Explaining Women’s Legislative Representation in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 29 (3): 447–68. doi:10.3162/036298004X201258.

Author: Mi Yung Yoon

Abstract:

This study examines the relative impacts of social, economic, cultural, and political determinants on women's legislative representation in sub-Saharan Africa by using an ordinary least squares multiple regression model. Under study are sub-Saharan African countries that held democratic legislative elections between January 1990 and June 30, 2001. Only the latest election in each country is included for analysis. My study finds that patriarchal culture, proportional representation systems, and gender quotas are statistically significant. This study, by focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, fills a gap in the extant literature, which has focused on women's legislative representation in advanced industrialized democracies.

Topics: Democracy / Democratization, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, Governance, Quotas, Elections, Political Participation Regions: Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Year: 2004